
Monica McCormick
3 min

Angelina Perino and Samantha Johnson know what it takes to perform at the highest level. As a former professional dancer and former NWSL player, they've both pursued big dreams, understood the pressure of the process, and faced the challenge of finding purpose beyond their athletic careers. That shared experience led them to create Cove Circle®—a private, members-only community built to support athletes, artists, and entrepreneurs in reaching their highest potential.
But building the community they envisioned meant finding the right platform to support it. Angelina and Samantha spent months evaluating platforms like Circle, searching for a solution that could support their vision: a curated space where vetted members could connect across the U.S. and beyond, discover collaborators by industry or location, engage with content, participate in virtual experiences, and build meaningful relationships—all alongside the in-person events and programming they provide.
They needed more than just a basic community platform. They needed custom member profiles, direct messaging, forums, virtual events, and the ability to make their brand come to life through fonts, colors, and layouts. When they found Movement, they knew immediately it was different. In their first call with the team, they saw that Movement delivered all the tools they needed with clean, dynamic templates and exceptional customization—from sign-up flows to profile builders and event scheduling. The decision was easy.

Can you tell us about our business and who you help?
Founded by Angelina Perino (former professional dancer) and Samantha Johnson (former NWSL player), Cove Circle® is a private community built to support athletes, artists, and entrepreneurs in reaching their highest potential.
Through curated content, meaningful experiences, and strategic partnerships, we connect like-minded members across the U.S. and beyond to grow both personally and professionally. Our founders are passionate about establishing a space vetted by character, mindset, and long-term vision—so members can build meaningful relationships and grow with intention.
"Cove Circle® is a private community built to support athletes, artists, and entrepreneurs in reaching their highest potential."

What problem were you facing before using Movement?
We spent months searching for the right platform to host our community. It was important to us to curate a digital space where members can connect—whether in the same city or across the globe—alongside the in-person events and programming we provide.
We wanted a platform that allowed our members to communicate directly, engage with content, participate in virtual experiences, and—most importantly—discover potential collaborators by industry or location.
"We spent months searching for the right platform to host our community. It was important to us to curate a digital space where members can connect … alongside the in-person events and programming we provide."


What made you choose Movement over other platforms? Did you try any others?
We explored Circle.so briefly—I created an account and tested it out, but I wasn't a fan of the interface or how limited the customization felt. You could add colors, but the layout and template options were pretty much set. I couldn't do much beyond that, and for what we were building, we needed real design flexibility.
In our first call with the team, we were able to see that Movement not only delivered all the tools we needed to bring our vision to life, but also provided clean, dynamic templates that made the app-building process seamless.
We were especially impressed by the level of customization available—from sign-up flows to profile builders and event scheduling. It was an easy choice!
"We were especially impressed by the level of customization available—from sign-up flows to profile builders and event scheduling. It was an easy choice!"

What features or aspects of Movement have been most useful for your work?
The custom member profiles, in-app direct messaging, community forums, and virtual event capabilities were essential to Cove Circle®.
The content displays/in-app videos were a huge plus, and we also appreciated the level of customization we were able to achieve to make our brand come to life (fonts, colors, icons, dynamic layouts).
"The custom member profiles, in-app direct messaging, community forums, and virtual event capabilities were essential."

Would you recommend Movement to other coaches and creators?
Not only does Movement offer the full suite of features and tools a creator or founder could need to build their brand or community, but their team is exceptional to work with. Whenever we encountered a challenge beyond the in-app chatbot, a real person was always just an email or message away, ready to help us work through it.
Don’t be intimidated if you’re not tech-savvy—Movement makes the app-building process incredibly approachable. They truly have your back and want you to succeed.
"Not only does Movement offer the full suite of features and tools a creator or founder could need to build their brand or community, but their team is exceptional to work with."

For founders, agencies, or entrepreneurs building private communities, masterminds, or membership platforms where connection and collaboration are central, Cove Circle® proves it's possible to create the sophisticated, fully-branded experience you always envisioned. Movement's combination of intuitive templates, extensive customization, and responsive human support meant Angelina and Samantha could focus on what mattered: designing meaningful experiences, and building a members-only space where high performers discover collaborators and grow with intention.
Whether you're building a community for athletes, artists, entrepreneurs, or any group united by shared values and ambition, Movement provides the infrastructure to create genuine connection at scale—and you'll feel fully supported along the way. As the Cove Circle® founders put it: "Movement makes the app-building process incredibly approachable. They truly have your back and want you to succeed."
Check out the Cove Circle Community App or find Cove Circle® on their website.
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Ready to build your own private community or membership platform to scale on your terms?
Whether you're creating a private, members-only app, building a brand new membership platform or community, or scaling an agency with multiple client projects, Movement helps you deliver professional, branded experiences faster.
What is Movement?
Movement is an all-in-one platform that helps coaches, creators, and community builders launch beautifully branded apps and memberships—without needing to be technical or piece together multiple tools.
Whether you're offering courses, events or programs, selling digital products, or hosting a private community, Movement gives you everything you need in one place: content and video hosting, chats, events, directories, and more.
It’s designed to be intuitive for you and seamless for your audience—so you can focus on delivering value, not managing tech.
For coaches who are tired of stitching together tools like Kajabi, Squarespace, and Facebook Groups, Movement offers a simpler, more scalable way to grow your business and deepen client connection—all under your own brand.
Find out more or sign up for a free account here.
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